A rose to Annie Barry and dozens of volunteers who have made helping their neighbors a Thanksgiving Day tradition. As they have done for 25 years now, Barry and her volunteers prepared, packaged and delivered meals of turkey and all the trimmings to Columbus residents who may not have otherwise enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal. In 1994, the group provided 50 meals. It’s grown steadily since. This Thanksgiving, they cooked 165 donated turkeys and distributed more than 1,800 meals. We can think of no greater expression of gratitude on Thanksgiving Day than through sharing with others. Bravo!
A rose to Mississippi State’s football team, which defeated rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving Night to become bowl-eligible for the 10th consecutive year. Although MSU’s 6-6 record is certainly a disappointment, the fact the Bulldogs will be again playing in a postseason game put them in rare company. Only 10 teams have appeared in more consecutive bowl games. MSU’s bowl streak surpasses that of Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Auburn, just to give you some idea of the difficulty of qualifying for a bowl game year-in and year-out. The disappointments of the regular season notwithstanding, the Bulldogs can – and should – take pride in this measure of consistent success.
A rose to the Heritage Academy football team, which defeated Starkville Academy, 55-10, on Nov. 22 to claim the Class 5A MAIS state championship, the finishing touches on a 14-0 season. The victory marked a steady progression for the Patriots. In fact, the seniors of this team suffered through an 0-8 record as freshmen but have steadily improved each year since. In 2017, Heritage made it to the state quarterfinals. Last year, they reached the semifinals before bowing out. But there was no stopping the Patriots this year. We congratulate the players and coaches of both area teams for their remarkable seasons – and the hard work required to achieve it.
A rose to all of you Christmas shoppers out there. Black Friday, considered the official start of the holiday shopping season has come and gone. While we agree that the real meaning of Christmas is not all about shopping, we certainly recognize that the Christmas shopping season has an enormous impact on our economy, both nationally and locally. Retailers rely on strong Christmas sales to make a profit, provide jobs and generate tax revenue that supports vital community services. As always, we encourage you to shop local and patronize family businesses. The money spent at these stores stays in the local economy through both sales tax revenue and going to employees and business owners who live in this community. It’s a good deal for us all. Finally, be courteous, be patient. The shopping frenzy can bring out the worst or the best in people. Let’s make sure it’s the latter. Be kind to other shoppers and to store employees, who are often overwhelmed.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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